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In honor of the day

Let's discuss this verse from the Bible:

Psalms 14:1The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

This particular verse has been bandied around the Internet on April Fool's Day after a story was created sometime around 2003 (and debunked by Snopes) about a Florida atheist who was, according to the story, so fed up with all of the religious holidays that interrupted his life that he decided to sue for a holiday dedicated to atheists. The judge in this story was, of course, a good Christian and rendered his decision. He dismissed the case, declaring that a day was already set aside for atheists: April Fool's Day, based on the verse above.

I remember a special fan of mine from this site telling me that she can't wait until my daughter (who was, at the time, wanting to read the Bible) comes upon this verse, because, you know, reading a passage in a book that tells her that she's a fool if she doesn't believe what the book says has GOT to be the most convincing argument of all.

When I read that verse, I think of the Emperor's New Clothes and the moral of that story. In that story, the fools were those who pretended to believe in something that didn't exist because they were afraid of being exposed as fools. It was a child, honest, innocent and guileless who was baffled by those who exclaimed over the gorgeous raiments the emperor was supposedly wearing. He was the only wise one in the kingdom (other than, perhaps, the swindlers who convinced the emperor to pay them for something that didn't really exist) who wasn't afraid to point out that the emperor was, in fact, absolutely naked.

Happy April Fool's Day!

(but, no, this post is not a joke - discuss your thoughts, if you wish)

April Fools day you too! but seriously others might find this to be true as far as the fool is concerned, just like you those of us who believe are fools, it is no different.....I think the only fool is that someone who has nothing to believe, you for instance don't believe in deities but believe your own version of how things came to be....so let that be it.....again this world is full of diverse opinions and believes, and they are only true to the believer...have a great day!

That passage is just another attempt to try to stop people from questioning their beliefs (critical thinking). Think about Adam & Eve, they created "original sin" by eating from the tree of knowledge. It's since been turned into a sexual thing, sneaky overly-sexual Eve "tempted" poor dim-witted Adam. But, really, the sin was obtaining knowledge, questioning God & the world around them. Seriously, how dare they actually think for themselves! They must be smited & banished now!

The urban legend of the atheist who wants a holiday (atheists don't actually care much about holidays or they celebrate the ones they want) is very familiar. It's an insult joke from smug christians who take the verse out of context (how many times have they used that one on us when WE quote the verses??). Your interpretation is interesting and I've found that you are right a lot (the curse of brilliance). It certainly explains why Jesus so HATED the fakers--the publicans and pharisees, the hypocritical priests of the temple, and so on. More than the sinners even.

There are atheists in the world--you may not be one of them--who think anyone who chooses to believe in a god or gods is a fool. If that's okay, then why would it not be okay for Christians of the Bible to feel the same way about those who don't believe? Personally, I feel it is up to each individual to figure out the view that works best in his or her life, so I wouldn't call anybody a fool based on what he or she does or doesn't believe. But what's good for the goose should be good for the gander, right?